Politics & Government
Roswell Elections Guide 2019: Candidates Talk City Problems
Get to know the candidates running for Roswell City Council for Post 1, 2 and 3 in this second installment of election profiles.
ROSWELL, GA — Georgians will take to the polls next Tuesday to vote in local elections, including in Roswell.
The Roswell City Council election will take place Nov. 5. The election is for the council seats of Post 1, Post 2 and Post 3.
Patch has invited each candidate in contested races to participate in our election profile series. We will continue to update this story with links to responses to our questionnaire.
Find out what's happening in Roswellfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Part one of the candidate questionnaire dives into who the candidates are, why they want to run and what their long and short term goals are.
Part two showcases what candidates say is the biggest issue that the city faces, how they want to combat that and why people should vote for them.
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Donald J. Horton www.votedonhorton.com
Post 2
Mike Palermo (Incumbent) Mike4Roswell.com
Geoff Smith www.SmithforRoswell.com
Keith Goeke Keith4Roswell.com
Christine Hall ChristineforRoswell.com
Lisa Holland www.LisaHollandForRoswell.com
Kay Howell kayforroswell.com
Question 4: What is the biggest issue you think citizens in Roswell face?
Post 1
Marcelo Zapata (Incumbent): Elected officials need to represent and protect the vision, needs and wishes of the people of Roswell and not special interests. We need to stop special interest big money from influencing city council zoning and development decisions. We need to bring the residents back into the driver’s seat.
Donald J. Horton: Traffic congestion is our biggest issue due to cut through traffic and outdated infrastructure.
Post 2
Mike Palermo (Incumbent): Roswell has work to do on being a transparent government with all residents having a voice. A resident should not have to attend every council meeting to stay informed on what is happening in their city. We have a responsibility as public officials to make it as easy as possible for residents to be informed and to feel represented.
Geoff Smith: Improving our commercial tax base. It is always about the money. I can tell you all day long that I’m committed to more sidewalks, more intersection improvements and improved parks. But if I can’t tell you how I’m going to fund them, then it’s just empty talk. Roswell’s tax base is 73 percent residential and we lose money on residential taxes because us residents require a significant amount of services. We make a lot of money on commercial taxes and we have to increase our commercial tax base by improving the Holcomb Bridge corridor and making those properties more valuable. We do not need to increase density to do this. Just by using the CID to beautify the corridor, those values will go up immediately and property owners will have an easier time finding tenants who will want to be there.
Alpharetta’s residential tax base is only 42 percent and they just doubled their homestead exemption and are building their Alpha Loop, parking decks and many other things that we in Roswell have only been able to talk about.
Post 3
Keith Goeke: Trust of local leadership in Roswell has always been important to Roswell residents and many are frustrated because they feel their voices are not being heard. I will be a council member that listens to their concerns and votes accordingly. Trust and transparency, character and leadership are the four pillars of my campaign that I will bring to the city council and is my commitment to the residents of Roswell.
Christine Hall: There are two and they are related – development and traffic. Right now, Roswell is formulating our first ever city-wide strategic plan. That vision will then need to direct both our Comprehensive Plan and the zoning code that governs current development. So the development rules will need to change to better align with the vision of the residents.
Traffic is often the number one frustration expressed by a wide variety of residents. While we have fine traffic engineers, our challenge is to focus their expertise on solutions that are neighborhood and business friendly.
Lisa Holland: Traffic congestion has always been a top concern amongst the citizens in Roswell. We have several State Routes that go through our city. (Ga. 9, Ga. 140, Ga. 92, and Ga. 400). With that, brings a lot of through traffic from our bordering counties - Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth, and Gwinnett.
Kay Howell: There are many issues that I have heard from our neighbors of the city that we all love. Whether that is large empty shopping centers, clear cutting trees for building projects without leaving some trees, bike lane locations, Transportation, Roswell zoning plans not being adhered to depending on who the council is approached by, or having a tax base that relies heavily on the homeowner.
Question 5: How do you plan to combat that issue?
Post 1
Marcelo Zapata (Incumbent): I will support a clear ordinance by which elected officials will have to avoid conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from voting when receiving campaign contributions from an applicant and/or organization that is benefitting financially from the decision made by the vote.
Donald J. Horton: I believe it is time for Roswell’s Transportation Department to move into the 21st century. There are numerous technologies that are proven to move traffic more efficiently in some of our country’s most populous cities.
We refer to these as “Smart City Technologies” with sensors that analyze traffic flow and change traffic lights to match the flow of traffic. These technologies have multiple uses beside addressing traffic flow.
Post 2
Mike Palermo (Incumbent): First, I will continue to work at ending pay-to-play zoning. If a council member’s campaign has benefited financially from a developer, they should be required to recuse themselves from a vote concerning that developer’s request. I have started a petition to raise awareness of this issue at EndRoswellConflicts.com, and I am pleased that more residents are gaining awareness on this subject. Second, I will ask for a return of the written minutes to council meetings. Unlike the video record, minutes are searchable by topic and easier to digest for residents that don’t have time to attend or watch the multiple hour meeting.
Geoff Smith: I will work to implement the CID along the corridor to beautify that corridor and improve the values of those commercial properties. It will encourage reinvestment into those properties to draw in businesses who will want to work there. I want to bring the charm of the neighborhoods out into the commercial corridor, so we can better brand our different character areas and give them more of a sense of place.
Post 3
Keith Goeke: Bringing back written transcription of all meetings, modernizing the mayor and council voting system to report results to residents on key issues, as well as appointing a citizen transportation committee to ensure transportation projects are context sensitive and resident focused is a good start at restoring trust and transparency in city government.
I am also proposing to have city council meetings held on a quarterly basis in east Roswell to show the commitment of building a better, more balanced focus, and vision for the entire city.
Christine Hall: I want to fix the loopholes in the zoning code to produce results that advance our strategic goals. I want destination places and office, true mixed-use projects, not just apartment buildings in our designated commercial areas. Businesses bring employees who will spend money in Roswell during the day, which benefits all of us.
Utilizing my financial background, I will be fiscally conservative in managing the resources of the city and its budget to keep our tax rates low and our services levels high, of particular importance to our seniors and young families.
Lisa Holland: Roswell is not an island. We need to build more relationships with our local regional and state partners to manage transportation issues and find ways that we can improve services and save money. The metro region will add about another 2.5 million people over the next 20 years. We can assume that quite a few of them will live or drive through North Fulton. How we manage traffic congestion, while keeping our charm and character are extremely important to me.
Kay Howell: As a certified project manager, the first thing that I think of when I look at the above list is to bring in the stakeholders that these issues impact (listen) to those that are impacted - then create a plan on how to resolve the issue (identifying what does a win look like for each stakeholder), clarifying the financial impacts (if applicable), creating the timeline and executing the resolution. Finally communicating this plan out to the city/citizens so that everyone is aware of the plan and next steps.
Question 6: Why should people vote for you?
Post 1
Marcelo Zapata (Incumbent): Because during the last four years, I have voted with the residents staying strong to represent the vision, needs, and wishes of the community at large which is reflected in my consistent community oriented voting record, approaching issues with common sense, reasoning voice, and analytical understanding of complex issues. I can offer a proven leadership that the residents can trust.
Donald J. Horton: I have led a life of service to this community and to my church. I believe it is important for anyone wishing to serve on council to be involved in the community through service organizations and participation in the numerous non-profit organizations in Roswell. For anyone wishing to be on council, the best way to know the entire community is to get involved. Because I have taken the time to be involved, I believe I know the citizens throughout Roswell. When we take the oath of office we pledge to represent the entire city of Roswell. There are smaller segments of the population that seen to make the most noise and though they need a voice, it should drown out the general public. Having served on the city council before I have listened to both sides of an issue before making a decision. I developed a reputation of being fair and objective. I attended every scheduled council meeting which included work sessions, committee meetings, special called meeting, and regular council meeting. I was committed to doing my best for the citizens of Roswell and when elected, I will do the same.
Post 2
Mike Palermo (Incumbent): In my first term on council I have proven that I am a consistent voice for the Roswell resident and not developers. I have fought for better development decisions, preserving green space, and more pedestrian safety. With a Master Plan on the horizon, Roswell needs a voice that will fight for smarter development decision with long-term goals in mind.
Geoff Smith: I have a plan and a vision and a very long track record of getting things done in our community. I’m not about talk. I’m about action.
Post 3
Keith Goeke: I feel that I am the best candidate for Post 3 because over the last few months I’ve personally knocked on thousands of doors on both sides of Ga. 400 listening to the citizens and their concerns. I’m driven to accomplish the goals outlined above for the residents of Roswell. My military service and leadership, as well as being a small business owner, have given me the skills to hear both sides of an issue and work with other members on Council to get things done. My family grew up here and it is my mission to keep Roswell beautiful, protect and enhance our historic district and to make our town a premier place to live, work, raise a family and retire.
Christine Hall: There is little time for a learning curve; we all know that challenges and opportunities are coming fast and furious in our city. I am the only candidate for Post 3 who can put my skill set and critical understanding to work immediately for the best interests of Roswell, including my knowledge of zoning and development and key processes. I have been actively involved for many years with the city and our school. I vote regularly in our elections. I respect and will be accountable to our residents and will represent them and the issues they care about.
Lisa Holland: I am uniquely qualified to make a difference on our Roswell City Council. I was the spokesperson for my last 10 years of service with the Roswell Police Department. As the public information officer, I provided open and honest communication to the public and ensured we maintained the highest level of public safety in our community. Most of police work is relationship building. I built a career just doing that. We need more relationships and less rock-throwing. I’ve seen the power of positive transparent, and collaborative relationships, and that is what I will bring to Roswell City Council.
Kay Howell: I believe that people should vote for me if they want a person that can build bridges for all the citizens of Roswell. I am a problem solver who is Truthful, Honest and Trustworthy. I understand that people believe that since they have known some of my opponents or they have seen them at activities over the years in Roswell that they would be good in the roll of City Council. I believe that our neighbors should take a different perspective and ask themselves is that how they would hire for a job to which they were the owner? I would give them the same advice that I have recommended to many reputable Fortune 500 company executives, as a previous Strategy Consultant. I would recommend that the citizen of Roswell look at their vote as their chance to hire for their company to which they have a huge investment - whether that is time, home, investment, or family. Vote for the person that you feel has the qualifications to get the job done.
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